The Family Portal for Home Networking
An Innovative Concept

Several types of portals exist today, but there is not a portal specifically designed for the family. With the growing number of computers in the home, and computer technology becoming increasingly more integrated into the family life, CRITO Faculty Associate Alladi Venkatesh, along with Steven Chen and Victor Gonzalez, have developed the concept of a “Family Portal for Home Networking.” Venkatesh has done extensive research in the area of home computing and came up with the idea of the Family Portal in 2002.

What is the Family Portal?

A portal is a single gateway or entrance. In computing terms it refers to the Internet website that provides links to other information. Most portals on the Internet are oriented towards the individual and provide services for a single user, such as weather reports, finance, news, instant messaging, e-mail, etc. Some portals provide community features, such as photo albums or discussion groups.

In contrast, the Family Portal would provide “family” access, where all family members have access to a repository with a common interface and shared features. Some of the key features include a shared mailbox, a communication tool (where members leave notes, messages and reminders for one another), a common calendar, an event organizer, an information tool, a financial organizer, and a shopping center. Family members who are in different locations, such as school, college or work, can communicate synchronously or at different times with each other.

Benefits

The Family Portal is a tool to help families maintain information and messages that support their associated activities. Its aim is to provide all family members access to a common interface and shared functionalities. Rather than using several programs, terminals or aids to gather information, there would be a single portal and user interface. Instead of having information posted in several areas of the house (such as on the calendar, on the refrigerator, on the laptop, etc.) all information would be available via the Family Portal. It is family-friendly and efficient.

Study

The CRITO research team recently had their paper “Designing the Family Portal for Home Networking” appear as a chapter in the book, Domesticating Information Technologies by Robert Kraut, Malcolm Brynin & Sara Kiesler (Oxford University Press, 2006). In their study, the researchers gathered information on families’ current use of computers. The majority of the families selected had children, hence more complex communication needs. Then the team introduced their Family Portal prototype and received feedback which is influencing the next stage of portal design.

Outcome/Findings

One of the interesting results was that there is resistance by some families to a total virtual environment in the home. These families are not willing to give up paper or their current practices because they work well for them and are familiar. Even though the portal was viewed as a useful tool, one of the concerns that emerged is where to locate the computer and visual display. Thus, the aesthetics and location will need to be part of the future design considerations. Also, some families will need to be convinced that the Family Portal is superior to what they now use.

Future

Through their continued investigations and studies the research team hopes to create new technologies in order to suggest how product managers, hardware engineers and software engineers can design products that truly serve the needs of the family. Professor Venkatesh will continue work on the Family Portal over the next few years and has a patent pending. Additional work is needed to explore the design and implementation of the Family Portal within the larger context of family life. Click here for a more detailed view of the study and its findings.